On the outdated Ford Piquette Ave Meeting Plant in Detroit, the place Henry Ford’s enterprise empire started, the brand new management of Nikola Corp assembled a gaggle of folks, hoping to allude to an identical path to success with their very own firm.

Earlier than a crowd of over 100 company, President and CEO of Nikola, Michael Lohscheller proudly introduced that his firm has now taken 100 orders for his or her new hydrogen gasoline cell EV Class 8 truck, one thing many didn’t suppose would ever occur. He then briefly mentioned his firm’s merchandise and laid out their marketing strategy to grow to be the chief in EV semi-truck manufacturing.

Stating that it takes 4900 mature timber to offset the carbon dioxide of a single diesel truck in a single yr, he espoused the need and worth of EV vehicles. One Nikola truck offsets 109 cubic tons of CO2 per yr. If consumers may efficiently change over a part of their fleets to electrical and gasoline cell Class 8 semi-trucks, they may make a noticeable distinction of their carbon footprint and enhance our air high quality.

A number of firms, comparable to Walmart, Alta Tools Leases, Anheuser-Busch, and Saia, have all acknowledged a have to responsibly safeguard the setting and have expressed a want to do their half by committing to zero-emissions transportation fleets.

With two factories, one in Ulm, Germany manufacturing for the European market and one in Phoenix, AZ, serving the North American market, Nikola builds two fashions of Class 8 transport vehicles: a battery-powered EV mannequin (BEV) and a hydrogen gasoline cell mannequin (FCEV). The BEV mannequin has a spread of roughly 330 miles, which limits it to transferring freight throughout cities, between shut regional cities, or from manufacturing services to native ports, whereas the FCEV has an extended vary of practically 500 miles with a 20 minute refueling time, making it excellent for over-the-road long-distance trucking. Given the higher efficiency and the logistics firm curiosity of their hydrogen gasoline cell truck, Nikola has properly decided that there’s extra promise within the gasoline cell vehicles and are actively trying to construct upon this curiosity.

Nikola additionally said that’s it’s onerous at work growing autonomous working methods that may hopefully be out there in a number of years.

In North America, there are 3 gross sales zones for Nikola vehicles: the East Coast zone, the West Coast Zone, and the Midwestern/Southern zone. Whereas there are some states not included within the gross sales zones, it’s potential that they could be included at a later date.

Cary Mendes, president of HYLA (HYdrogen NikoLA), Nikola’s new power firm, then mentioned their plan to assist the brand new hydrogen gasoline cell autos that Nikola is constructing. Referencing the start of the auto once more, he identified {that a} new infrastructure must be created and constructed. HYLA is at the moment developing a number of hydrogen manufacturing stations round North America that may use the abundance of inexperienced power to transform water or methane into hydrogen gasoline. The aim is to supply 300 tons of H2 per day. This is sufficient to energy 700 vehicles. HYLA’s aim is to get the value all the way down to the equal value of diesel gasoline, making it an excellent proposition for potential consumers.

This gasoline will then be transported to refueling websites close to Nikola buyer’s services. Constructing these services will take a number of years, so HYLA has created a mid-term resolution by making a fleet of cellular hydrogen refueling autos. These refuelers can maintain 1,000 cubic ft of hydrogen gasoline and can present up every day to purchasers services to gasoline their fleet of hydrogen gasoline cell vehicles till the refueling facilities are accomplished. This removes the danger of shopping for a gasoline cell truck. These refuelers may also be out there to different gasoline cell autos, not simply Nikola merchandise. To show their progress, HYLA introduced that 4 refueling stations are in place already: Sacramento, CA; Ontario, CA; Lengthy Seaside, CA, and Colton, CA – all main delivery hubs. They anticipate 60 extra by 2026 – simply three years away.

Lohscheller is fast to level out that this operation and the 100 gasoline cell truck buy orders would possible not have occurred if it weren’t for the incentivization by the state of California, america federal authorities, and the assistance of a number of personal capital corporations. Constructing a brand new infrastructure base is an especially costly proposition and it couldn’t be performed with out companions. Very like on the start of the gasoline automobile.

After the dialogue, we got a chance to take a short trip in one in all two Nikola TRE battery EV vehicles. The vehicles appear like normal semi cab-over vehicles however with a a lot cleaner design that appears much more aerodynamic and trendy than most vehicles. Open the passenger door and climb up three vertical steps and also you climb into essentially the most spacious truck cab you’ve ever seen. NBA gamers may simply stand within the cab with out their heads touching the roof. On the driving force’s facet, the driving force sat in a cushty trying seat. Earlier than him was a reasonably sized steering wheel flanked by two giant digital screens displaying data. Behind the steering wheel was a digital automobile data show, displaying a speedometer and a number of other different gauges. Behind the seats was a flat shelf vast sufficient to sleep on, so there’ll possible be sleeping lodging out there to order.

I took my seat, buckled up, and watched the driving force press the beginning button. The quiet whine {of electrical} gear developed. The driving force launched the air brakes and the TRE started gliding up the street. He took it sluggish at first as a result of the street was so badly potholed. The truck bounced a bit over the bumps, but it surely was by no means harsh. Once we reached a primary street, the trip improved and the driving force pulled out into visitors and accelerated. The delicate whine intensified a bit because the truck glided ahead shortly, urgent me again into the seat a bit. “With a trailer hooked up, you’d nonetheless really feel this acceleration. It has a lot torque that you simply barely discover there’s a load again there.”

Like many EV’s, the TRE has adjustable regenerative breaking. The default setting of the TRE is full-regen. Lifting your foot from the throttle engine-brakes the truck noticeably. This may be adjusted for much less intense regeneration however most will possible try for that extra cost.

What’s most startling in regards to the Nikola TRE is the quietness. It’s unusual to not hear the noisy diesel clatter at idle, the straining and pressurized motion of huge volumes of air because the engine struggles to drag the load behind it, nor scent the oily diesel exhaust. The TRE is a lot cleaner than a standard diesel truck that the grease on the rear connection plate appears unusually misplaced. You’ll be able to simply keep it up a dialog within the truck cab, with out having to lift your voice – its that quiet.

We drove a number of miles over floor streets, the trip easy and quiet and comfy, then returned to the Piquette Meeting Plant, the place I opened the door, turned backwards, and thoroughly descended the ladder steps to the road.

The Nikola TRE is an actual truck and out there on the market now, each as a standard EV or as a gasoline cell EV (FCEV). These zero-emission vehicles are an fascinating proposition and it is going to be fascinating to see in the event that they chip away on the diesel truck market over time to take a dominant share. There’s lots of promise and potential, particularly in huge cities and states involved about carbon emissions.